Amid prevalent divisiveness, stoked agitations and widening social and economic inequalities, elected officials should be reminded to serve all the people and not themselves nor special interest groups.

Gross failings of elected officials to serve and to act on behalf of all the people will continue to lead to uprisings and wider conflicts.

This week's uprisings in Iran against a strict Islamic government ought to place all governments on notice of the bold defiance people could exhibit once they have been denied the basics of life, liberty and opportunity.

That leaders could do as they wish with no regard of the negative consequences and impacts of such actions upon the people, has to be a misnomer. The old notion that clubs, tear gas, water canons, bullets and arrests would suffice suppressing an oppressed people, is a gross error.

However, good governance, effective service to the people and a system to redress, remain the safest and most secure mechanisms to peace and stability in all societies. Therefore, to hedge against social unrest and perpetual demonstrations and protests, leaders must serve the people instead of demanding of expecting that the people serve them. Government rests with the people at all times.